On Friday, President Donald Trump ordered a limited FBI background check into his Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, as well as an examination into allegations of sexual assault that have been made against him.
The announcement came 24 hours after Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, gave emotional testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the allegations.
Last month, Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a small gathering both individuals allegedly attended during the summer of 1982. At the time, Ford and Kavanaugh were teenagers in high school.
Since the hearing on Wednesday, local attorneys have weighed in to give their thoughts on the issue at hand.
Attorney Jacob Fusilier stated, “My concern with all of this is the precedent that this is setting. I find it to be a dangerous precedent if we start looking into people’s high school conduct to determine if they are cutout for a position.”
“On the other hand,” Fusilier sad. “We need to take accusations of sexual assault seriously. Because, if that did happen to Dr. Ford then that is definitely something that could affect her for the rest of her life.”
Originally, no FBI investigation was going to be performed. However, that is something Ville Platte Attorney Alicia Phillips-Kelly felt should have been done “immediately.”
Phillips-Kelly said, “I believe that anytime someone credible makes an allegation of sexual assault by a U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee, that the FBI should immediately be ordered to conduct an investigation into the allegations.”
Now that President Trump has ordered an investigation, Phillips-Kelly believes it should be handled swiftly because of the upcoming elections in November.
“The investigation in this case should be handled quickly due to the circumstances, the elections in November, so that the nominee still has the opportunity to be confirmed,” said Phillips-Kelly. “The committee and the people should have as much information as possible regarding whether or not the allegations may or may not be false or true available to them prior to deciding whether or not to support the nominee’s confirmation. It’s just common sense.”
In terms of local attorney Sonny Chapman’s feelings on this matter, he considers the situation “pure politics.”
Chapman said, “There have been seeds of politics trumping policy ever since Bill Clinton’s impeachment. The Merrick Garland Nomination never getting a vote for over a year after Scalia’s death was pure politics.
“Playing hard ball politics regarding many of the formal and informal institutions of American democracy takes a toll. The ‘winning at all costs’ may work in sports, sometimes, but tt harms American democracy.”
Chapman concluded, “The Supreme Court has taken a hit in being viewed by Americans as apolitical since Bush v. Gore (presidential election). This nomination process hasn’t helped.”
Image
ELIZABETH WEST Managing Editor